Locking device and method for mounting a locking device

Abstract

Locking device, in particular vehicle locking device, with a lock (2) having at least one bolt, which can be actuated by an actuating device (3) separate from the lock (2) by means of a mechanical transmission device (4), wherein the lock (2) has a lock lever (20) acting on the at least one bolt, which can be coupled to a free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) facing away from the actuating device (3), wherein the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) is located in a coupling housing (1) which can be joined with the lock (2), wherein the coupling housing (1) is provided with a cam guide (19A", 19B) for the lock lever (20), which is designed such that, when the coupling housing (2) is joined with the lock (2), it engages the lock lever (20) with the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a locking device and a method for mounting such a locking device. In particular, the invention relates to a locking device for a vehicle and a method for mounting such a locking device on a vehicle. When installing a conventional lock that is operated by a separate and remotely located actuator, a transmission element, such as a cable or linkage, must be manually attached to the lock to mechanically connect the actuator to the lock. Furthermore, especially when installing a lock on a vehicle door or hatch, a sealing cover often needs to be fitted. These installation steps are time-consuming and therefore slow down the manufacturing process. Moreover, reliably sealing the passage of the transmission element through the cover is difficult. From DE 10 2011 120 882 A1 a motor vehicle door lock is known in which an actuating lever arranged in a lock housing is coupled to an actuating element arranged outside the lock housing. DE 298 04 649 U1 relates to a bonnet lock for a motor vehicle with a rotary latch actuated by a counter-locking part and a locking pawl, wherein the locking pawl can be actuated by a Bowden cable and has a Bowden cable stop. From DE 20 2011 103 310 U1 a motor vehicle door lock is known with an actuating lever arranged in a lock housing, which is coupled to an actuating element arranged outside the lock housing. DE 698 13 223 T2 describes a motor vehicle locking device with cable actuation for opening from the inside and from the outside. US Patent 5,927,895 A discloses a cable anchoring device for the detachable fastening of a wire rope to a movable component. The object of the present invention is to provide a locking device comprising a lock, a separate actuating element and a transmission element mechanically connecting the actuating element to the lock, which can be quickly assembled with few parts. This problem is solved by the locking device with the features of claim 1. The locking device according to the invention, which is particularly designed as a vehicle locking device, comprises a lock having at least one bolt, which can be actuated by an actuating device separate from the lock by means of a mechanical transmission device. The lock has a lock lever acting on the at least one bolt, which can be coupled to a free end section of the mechanical transmission device facing away from the actuating device, wherein the free end section of the mechanical transmission device is located in a coupling housing that can be joined with the lock. The coupling housing is provided with a cam guide for the lock lever, which is designed such that, when the coupling housing is joined with the lock, it engages the lock lever with the free end section of the mechanical transmission device. The cam guide ensures that, when the coupling housing is joined to the lock, the lock lever is automatically guided along the cam guide into a position where it reliably and precisely engages with the mechanical transmission device. Therefore, separate manual engagement of the transmission device with the lock is no longer necessary when assembling the lock assembly according to the invention, thus saving assembly time and reducing the risk of assembly errors. Advantageous further developments of the locking device according to the invention are specified in the claims dependent on claim 1. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the free end section of the mechanical transmission device has a stop element that rests against the lock lever when the lock lever is engaged with the free end section of the mechanical transmission device. This stop element ensures that the transmission device assumes a defined effective length in the assembled state, thus eliminating the need for manual adjustment of this effective length. Another advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the coupling housing has a holding device for retaining the free end section of the mechanical transmission device in a parked position, and that the holding device is designed to release the free end section of the mechanical transmission device when the lock lever engages with the free end section of the mechanical transmission device. This embodiment allows the coupling housing to be pre-assembled with the transmission device, so that during final assembly only this pre-assembled component needs to be joined with the lock, with the free end section of the mechanical transmission device leaving the holding device and thus its parked position at the moment the lock lever engages with the free end section of the mechanical transmission device. The free end section of the mechanical transmission device advantageously has a holding element at its free end, which cooperates with the holding device to hold the free end section of the mechanical transmission device in the park position. Preferably, the coupling element has a lid-like housing which, in a preferred embodiment, is closed except for a mounting opening facing the lock and a through-opening for the mechanical transmission device provided in the wall of the lid-like housing. In this embodiment of the invention, the lid-like housing encloses the space in which the lock lever engages with the transmission element, wherein the mechanical transmission device is preferably guided through the through-opening in the wall of the lid-like housing by means of a sealing device. If the lid-like housing is provided with a sealing surface on its side facing the lock, and if the lid-like housing can be attached to a wall separating a wet room from a dry room of an object equipped with the lock, preferably a body wall of a vehicle, in such a way that the sealing surface seals against the wall by means of a seal attached to it, then in such a preferred embodiment of the invention a reliable seal between a wet room in which the lock is arranged and a dry room in which the actuating element is arranged is simultaneously ensured, in particular if the mechanical transmission device is simultaneously guided through the through-opening in the wall of the lid-like housing by means of a sealing device. Preferably, the lid-like housing is provided with fastening means for mounting it on the wall. The object underlying the invention is also directed to a method for assembling a lock device according to the invention, wherein this part of the object is solved by the method with the features of claim 10. Such a method for assembling a locking device according to the invention comprises the following steps: - Attaching the lock having the locking lever to an object, for example to a vehicle door or to a vehicle flap, - Joining the lock with the coupling housing, wherein the locking lever, controlled by the cam guide, engages with the free end section of the mechanical transmission element. This assembly method accelerates the entire manufacturing process, for example of a vehicle, since the assembly method according to the invention comprises fewer work steps than the conventional procedure and can be carried out faster. The invention is described in more detail below with reference to an example and the drawing; in this, Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a coupling housing provided with an end section of a mechanical transmission device, and Figs. 2A to 2E show a sequential view of an assembly method according to the invention. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a coupling housing 1, which is joined to a lock 2, represented schematically in the figure only by its elements. The lock 2 is represented in Figure 1 by a lock lever 20, which interacts with a (not shown) bolt of the lock 2 to open and close the lock 2 in a manner generally known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, an upper lock guide 22 and a lower lock guide 24 of the lock 2 are shown. The upper lock guide 22 and the lower lock guide 24 each have a guide bore 15, 25, into which an associated guide pin 12, 14 of the coupling housing 1 engages. The coupling housing 1 is provided with a cup-shaped housing wall 10' defining a lid-like housing 10, which has a mounting opening 16 on its side facing the lock 2. The mounting opening 16 is surrounded by a sealing surface 18, which is formed on a side facing the lock 2 of a sealing flange 17 that surrounds the mounting opening 16. In a side wall 10'' of the housing wall 10 of the coupling housing 1, which faces an actuating device 3 for the lock 2 (shown only schematically in Fig. 1), a through-opening for a mechanical transmission device 4 is provided with a sealing device 13 formed by a sealing sleeve 13'. This transmission device 4, which in the example shown is formed by a Bowden cable 40, but which could just as well be formed by a linkage, connects the actuating device 3 to the lock lever 20 of the lock 2. The coupling housing 1 has an upper control projection 19A on its side facing the lock 2, which is provided on one side facing the lock lever 20 with a control surface 19A'' designed as a cam 19A'. Furthermore, the coupling housing 1 has a lower control projection 19B on its side facing the lock 2, which is provided on one side facing the lock lever 20 with a control surface 19B'' designed as a cam 19B'. The lock lever 20 has an upwardly projecting upper control cam 21 on its upper side and a downwardly projecting lower control cam 23 on its underside, each bearing against the cam-like control surface 19A'' or 19B'', respectively. The interaction between the respective cam 19A', 19B' and the associated control cam 21, 23 is described below in conjunction with Figures 2A to 2E. Figures 2A to 2E show, in a partially cutaway top view, individual sequences of the assembly of the coupling housing 1 with the lock 2. Fig. 2A shows the lower lock guide 24 and the lock lever 20 of the lock 2, which is shown in a closed position pre-tensioned by a (not shown) closing spring. Between the lock 2 and the coupling housing 1, a section of a body wall 5 is shown, separating a wet compartment N, in which the lock 2 is located, from a dry compartment T. The body wall 5 is provided with an access opening 50 in the area of ​​the lock guides 22, 24 and the lock lever 20. The coupling housing 1 is shown in a position in the drying room T in which the guide pins 12, 14 are inserted into the respective associated guide bore 15, 25 of the respective lock guide 22, 24 in the direction of the arrow P. The transmission element 4 (Bowden cable 40) engages with its free end section 41 in the lid-like coupling housing 1 and is provided at its free end 42 with a spherical retaining element 44. The spherical retaining element 44 is held between two webs 11', 11' forming a retaining device 11, which are located in the coupling housing 1 between the upper control projection 19A and the lower control projection 19B. Slightly spaced from the retaining element 44 at the free end 42 of the transmission device 4, the transmission device 4 is provided with a spherical stop element 46. In the top view of Fig. 2A, the spherical stop element 46 is covered by the upper and lower control projections 19A and 19B, respectively, such that the cam-like control surfaces 19A'' and 19B'' tangentially touch the vertical projection of the circumferential contour of the spherical stop element 46 in the vertical top view shown in Fig. 2A. In the sequence shown in Fig. 2B, the coupling housing 1 has moved closer to the lock 2 and the body wall 5, with the control cams 21, 23 of the lock lever 20 (of which only the lower control cam 23 is shown hidden in Figs. 2A to 2E) bearing against the respective associated cam-like control surface 19A'', 19B'', whereby the lock lever 20 has already been deflected slightly from its closed position against the force of the closing spring. Fig. 2C shows a sequence in which the coupling housing 1 has moved even closer to the lock 2 and the body wall 5. The lock lever 20 has already penetrated the coupling housing 1 to such an extent that the transmission device 4 engages in a slot 20' of the lock lever 20. Fig. 2D shows a further advanced sequence in which the transmission device 4 has reached the inner end of the slot 20' and is carried along by the locking lever 20 penetrating deeper into the coupling housing 1, thereby disengaging the retaining element 44 from the webs 11, 11' and releasing the end section 41 of the transmission device 4 with the retaining element 44 from its parked position. In Fig. 2E, the coupling housing 1 is shown in its end position connected to the lock 2, in which the circumferential sealing flange 17 with a seal 6 attached to it rests against the body wall 5, wherein locking lugs 1', 1'' provided on the coupling housing 1 engage behind the edge 52 of the body opening 50 and seal the coupling housing 1 against the body wall 5. The lock lever 20, following the contours of the cam-like control surfaces 19A'', 19B'', has returned to its initial position (shown in Fig. 2A) (locked position of the lock 2). The transmission device 4 has been released from its parked position and the stop element 46 of the transmission device 4 is firmly in contact with the lock lever 20. In this final assembly position, a tensile force F exerted by the actuating element 3 on the transmission device 4 (directed to the right in Figs. 2A to 2E) can move the lock lever 20 from its closed position against the force of the closing spring and thus open the lock 2. The invention is not limited to the above embodiment, which merely serves to generally illustrate the core concept of the invention. Within the scope of protection, the device according to the invention can also assume other embodiments than those described above. In particular, the device can have features that represent a combination of the respective individual features of the claims. Reference numerals in the claims, description and drawings serve only to improve understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection.

Claims

Locking device, in particular vehicle locking device, with a lock (2) having at least one bolt, which can be actuated by an actuating device (3) separate from the lock (2) by means of a mechanical transmission device (4), wherein the lock (2) has a lock lever (20) acting on the at least one bolt, which can be coupled to a free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) facing away from the actuating device (3), wherein the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) is located in a coupling housing (1) which can be joined with the lock (2), wherein the coupling housing (1) is provided with a cam guide (19A", 19B) for the lock lever (20), which is designed such that, when the coupling housing (2) is joined with the lock (2), it engages the lock lever (20) with the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4). Locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) has a stop element (46) which rests against the lock lever (20) when the lock lever (20) engages with the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4). Locking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coupling housing (1) has a holding device (11) for holding the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) in a park position and that the holding device (11) is designed to release the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) when the lock lever (20) engages with the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4). Locking device according to claim 3, characterized in that the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) has a retaining element (44) at its free end which cooperates with the retaining device (11) to hold the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission device (4) in the park position. Locking device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the coupling element (1) has a lid-like housing (10). Locking device according to claim 5, characterized in that the lid-like housing (10) is closed except for a mounting opening (16) facing the lock (2) and a through-opening for the mechanical transmission device (4) provided in the wall (10') of the lid-like housing (10). Locking device according to claim 6, characterized in that the mechanical transmission device (4) is guided through the through-opening in the wall (10') of the lid-like housing (10) by means of a sealing device (13). Locking device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the lid-like housing (10) is provided with a sealing surface (18) on its side facing the lock (2) and that the lid-like housing (10) can be attached to a wall (5) separating a wet room (N) from a dry room (T) of an object equipped with the lock, preferably a body wall of a vehicle, in such a way that the sealing surface (18) seals against the wall (5) by means of a seal (6) abutting it. Locking device according to claim 8, characterized in that the lid-like housing (10) is provided with fastening means (1', 1") for fastening to the wall (5). Method for assembling a locking device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: - attaching the lock (2) having the lock lever (20) to an object; - joining the lock (2) with the coupling housing (1), wherein the lock lever (20) engages with the free end section (41) of the mechanical transmission element (4) controlled by the cam guide (19A", 19B").

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